Wear resistant members

ABSTRACT

WEAR RESISTANT MEMBER, ESPECIALLY SUITABLE FOR DEFINING A COIN PASSAGE OF A COIN COUNTING AND (OR) SORTING MACHINE ARE MADE OF SUPPORTING MEMBERS AND A WEAR RESISTANCE SURFACE MADE OF CERAMICS OF CERMET AND BONDED TO SUPPORTING MEMBERS. THE WEAR RESISTANT SURFACE IS DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF SEGMENTS TO PREVENT DEFORMATION OR CRACKING.

Ap 1971- YOSHIHIRO HATANAKA ETAL 3,574,

WEAR RESISTANT MEMBERS Filed June 11, 1968 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. l

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United States Patent 3,574,567 WEAR RESISTANT MEMBERS Yoshihiro Hatanakaand Hidetaka Mase, Himeji-shi,

"Japan, assignors to Kabushiki Kaisha-Kokuei Kikai Seisakusho,I-Iimeji-shi, Hyogo-ken, Japan Filed June 11, 1968, Ser. No. 736,210Claims priority, application Japan, June 26, 1967, 42/5 1,835; Nov. 27,1967, 42/99,299 Int. Cl. B32]: 15/04 US. Cl. 29-195 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE Wear resistant members, especially suitable for defininga coin passage of a coin counting and (or) sorting machine are made ofsupporting members and a wear resistance surface made of ceramics orcermet and bonded to supporting members. The wear resistant surface isdivided into a plurality of segments to prevent deformation or cracking.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to wear resistantmembers in the form of plates or bars, and more particularly to suchmembers especially suitable for defining coin passages of coin countingand (or) sorting machines.

There are many applications which are required to employ highly wearresistant component parts. For example, in one type of a coin countingand sorting machine, various types of coins having different diametersare passed through a coin passage of adjustable width during which coinshaving smaller diameters than that of a coin of predetermined type aredropped, and only those of the predetermined type are counted,accumulated and packed. Such a coin passage is ordinarily defined by apair of spaced apart adjustable bars, guide plates located at the inletand exit ends of the coin passage, and guide means to guide coins tomove into the passage. These component members are required to be highlywear resistant to resist large frictional and abrasive actions of coins.As wear resistant materials, ceramics or cermet are known. Althoughthese materials are extremely hard and wear resistant, it is difficultto obtain thin and relatively wide sheets thereof because of theirbrittleness. When one tries to provide a wear resistant plate by bondinga thin sheet of ceramic or cermet material to a supporting plate of highmechanical strength such as a steel plate, and then machine the surfaceof the thin sheet, the thin sheet tends to deform or crack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the principal object of thisinvention to provide an improved wear resistant plate which does notdeform or crack.

The wear resistant plate embodying this invention comprises a supportingplate and a thin sheet of wear resistant material bonded to one surfaceof the supporting plate. The thin sheet comprises a plurality ofsegments of ceramic material or cermet. Since the surface area of eachsegment can be made relatively small, the tendency of deformation orcracking can be avoided.

3,574,567 Patented Apr. 13, 1971 In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a wear resistant plate embodying thisinvention; e e

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a section of a modified embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a coin passage of a coin counting and sortingmachine utilizing wear resistant members of this invention;

FIG. 5 shows a section taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a left-hand guide plate;

FIG. 7 shows a section of the guide plate taken along a line 77 in FIG.6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a left hand guide bar;

FIG. 9 shows a section through a line 9-9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows a plan view of a guide plate on the inlet side of the coinpassage;

FIG. 11 shows a section of the guide plate taken along a line 11-11 inFIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an adjusting plate associated with the righthand guide bar;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the adjusting plate taken along a line13-13 in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a side view of a guide plate on the exit side of the coinpassage; and

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the guide plate taken along a line 15-15in FIG. 14.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2illustrating one embodiment of a novel wear resistant plate 50especially suitable for use as a guide plate of a coin counting andsorting machine, the wear resistant plate 50 comprises a supportingplate of metal 51 and a thin fiat sheet of ceramics or cermet 52 whichis divided into a plurality of segments or pieces. These pieces arereceived in a. recess 53 on the upper surface of the supporting plateand bonded thereto by a suitable binder such as a resin. The lowersurface of the ceramic or cermet sheet is ground and polished to providea flat and smooth surface flush with the upper surface of supportingplate 51. While in the embodiment shown, the ceramic or cermet sheet isdivided laterally, it is to be understood that it can be divided in anydesired manner according to the dimensions and configuration of thesheet. Openings 54 are provided on the opposite sides of the supportingplate to receive screws and the like (not shown).

Examples of ceramic materials which may be used are sintered bodies ofhigh purity alumina, borides, chromium oxides and zirconium oxides, andas the cermet material, use may be made of sintered bodies essentiallyconsisting of high purity tungsten carbides and titanium carbides.

In this manner, as the wear resistant surface is comprised by aplurality of segments of ceramic or cermet material bonded to thesupporting plate and the surface area of each segment can be madecomparatively smaller than the total area of the wear resistant surface.As is well known in the art, although these sintered materials are veryhard and wear resistant, owing to their brittleness, it is difficult toprepare thin and flat sheets thereof of wide surface area. However,according to this invention, as a number of small segments are bondedsideby-side to form a Wear resistant plate of the desired area, thedifficulty referred to above can be readily obviated.

In a modified construction shown in FIG. 3 the thickness of thesupporting plate 51 is increased at portions just beneath dividedceramic or cermet segments 52 to increase the mechanical strength. Whenmachined to thin gauge, ceramic or cermet segments have a tendency to bedeformed by about 0.02 to 0.03 mm. and such deformation is furtherincreased when such segments are bonded to the supporting plate havingdefects such as surface irregularity or warp, thus causing cracking orpeeling off of the segments. Increased thickness at portion 55 which isformed with a recess 53 to receive wear resistant segments increases themechanical strength of that portion or that of the assembly of thesupporting plate and wear resistant segments, so that deformation ofthese segments at the time of machining thereof can be eliminated orminimized. Moreover, the thickened portion effectively absorbs residualstress created at the time of bonding of the wear resistant segments orsmall vibrations at the time of use of the wear resistant plate therebyto decrease adverse effects upon the ceramic or cermet segments and thuseffectively prevents cracking or peeling off thereof.

While the novel wear resistant plate can be used in any applicationrequiring durability, the above described embodiments are especiallysuitable to form a passage or chute to guide and or sort various typesof coins in coin counting and (or) sorting machines.

FIGS. 4 through 15 illustrate one example of such application. In thecoin counting and sorting machine illus trated, coins disposed on ahorizontal rotary disc 60 are thrown into a coin passage 28 extending inthe radial direction of the rotary disc and defined by a pair of spacedapart guide bars 1 and 2, a guide plate 3, an adjusting plate 4, a guideplate 5 on the inlet side and a guide plate 6 on the exit side of thecoin passage.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 10, and 11, guide plate 5 on the inlet side isdisposed adjacent the periphery of the rotary disc to receive coinstherefrom and is provided with a recess 7 extending in the direction ofmovement of coins and having a width wider than the diameter of thelargest coin to be processed. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1and 2, thin segments of ceramic or cermet 8 are fitted in recess 7 andare bonded to guide plate 5 by any bonding agent such as a resin.

One edge of the guide plate 5 and ceramic or cermet segments 8 whichfaces the periphery of rotary disc 60 is slanted as at 9.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the left side guide bar 1 is provided with anotch 10 in its right upper edge 0 to receive a bar 11 of ceramics orcermet. Guide bar 1 is secured on a machine frame 18 with its front edge(upper edge as viewed in FIG. 9) abutted against the rear edge of guideplate 5, and with the upper surface of the ceramic bar 11 flush with theupper surface of ceramic segments 8.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the left side guide plate 3 has a bar 12 ofceramics or cermet 12 bonded to the right hand edge thereof and issecured on the upper surfaces of guide plates and guide bar 1 as shownin FIG. 5. Guide bar 1 and guide plate 3 on the left hand side aresecured in position by means of screws 17 extending through openings 13and 14. The width of guide plate 3 is made narrower than that of guidebar 1 to expose a portion of the upper surface of ceramic bar 11.

Right hand guide bar 2 is secured to machine frame 18 through a movableframe 19 so that the spacing between guide bars 1 and 2 may beadjustable. Guide bar 2 is constructed symmetrically with guide bar 1and has a ceramic bar 21 bonded to a notch on the left upper edgethereof. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, an adjusting plate 4 has a ceramicbar 22 bonded to its inner edge and another ceramic piece 24 bonded toits inlet end, with the ceramic piece 24 having an arcuate guide edge23.

Adjusting plate 4 is mounted upon guide bar 2 and the plate and bar aresecured to a movable frame 19 by screws 27 extending through openings25. As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the upper surface of ceramic bar 22is left exposed to provide a coin sliding surface. A cover plate 26 ismounted on the adjusting plate 24 by means of screws 27a, with the inneredge of cover plate 26 projecting inwardly beyond that of adjustingplate 4. Between guide bar 2 and cover plate 26, there is defined a gapsufficient to pass the peripheral portion of one coin. A guide plate 6is secured to machine frame 18 by means of a screw 29 on the exit end ofcoin passage or gap 28 formed between guide bars 1 and 2. As best shownin FIGS. 1'4 and 15, guide plate 6 is provided with a notch 30 toreceive a segment or segments of ceramics or cermet 31 which are bondedto guide plate 6 in any suitable manner. The upper surface of ceramicsegments on which coins slide is finished flush with that of guide plate6. A guide member 34 having a concave guide surface 33 which cooperateswith said arcuate guide edge 23 to form a coin guide passage is mountedupon the inlet end of the left hand guide plate 3 by screws 35. Further,a conveyer belt 36 is passed around a pair of pulleys 3.7 and 38respectively above guide plates 5 and 6 so that the lower run of thebelt moves downwardly, as viewed in FIG. 4, to carry therewith coinswhich are brought against concave guide surface 33 by the rotation ofthe rotary disc into coin passage 38. A suitable counting machanismincluding a star wheel 39 is provided on one side of the coin passageadjacent guide plate 6 on the exit end to count the number of coins thathave passed through coin passage 28.

Although not shown in the drawing, adjusting plate 4 is biased to moveaway from the coin passage, and the width of the coin passage isadjusted by a polygonal cam 40 cooperating with the adjusting plate 10according to the diameter or type of the coin to be selected.

Each one of bars 11, 12, 21 and 22 and segments 8 and 31 may be a singlepiece or divided pieces depending upon its configuration and dimensions.

In operation, the rotary disc 60 is rotated in the clockwise directionas viewed in FIG. 4 so that coins mounted thereon are moved to itsperiphery by centrifugal force; When caught by the concave guide surface33, coins are thrown outwardly into the coin guide passage betweenconcave surface 37 and arcuate guide edge 23 and thence onto the guideplate 5 on the inlet side. Coins are then carried by the conveyor beltalong ceramic bars 11 and 21 of guide bars 1 and 2 and between ceramicbars 12 and 22. Coins having diameters smaller than the diameter of thecoin to be sorted fall down through coin passage 28. Coins moved alongceramic bars 11 and 21 are then conveyed onto guide plate 6 on the exitend, and, after operating star wheel 39 of the counting mechanism, theyare piled up in a packing mechanism (not shown).

As segments and bars defining the coin passage are made of ceramic orcermet material, wear thereof can be reduced greatly, and an accurategap can be maintained over a long period without the necessity ofexchanging worn out parts, thus increasing the sorting efficiency ofcoins.

While the invention has been described in terms of preferredembodiments, thereof it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatthis invention is not limited to these particular embodiments and thatmany changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the ap pended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wear resistant plate comprising a supporting plate of metal and awear resistant sheet bonded to one surface of said supporting plate,said wear resistant sheet comprising a plurality-of segments arrangedside by side and made of a member selected from the group consisting ofceramic material and cermet material.

2. The Wear resistant plate according to claim 1 wherein said supportingplate is provided with a shallow recess, and said wear resistant sheetis received in said recess and machined flush with said supportingplate.

3. The Wear resistant plate according to claim 1 wherein the thicknessof the portions of said supporting plate underlying said wear resistantsheet is increased.

4. The wear resistant plate according to claim 1 wherein said ceramicmaterial is a member selected from the group consisting of sinteredalumina, borides, chromium oxides and zirconium oxide.

5. The wear resistant plate according to claim 1 wherein said cermetmaterial is a member selected from the group consisting of a sinteredbody essentially consisting of high purity tungsten carbide and sinteredbody of titanium carbide.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Donnelly 29-1835 Dawson 29-194Ingels 29-4205 Friedrich 29-195 Zeller 29-195 Budde et a1. 29-473.1 Rath117-93.1 Kempe 29-1835 Tarver 29-195 US. Cl. X.R.

